


Blood is Thicker than Water

by gohoubi



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, Gen, Pre-Canon, Sick Character, fluff and a lil bit of angst, not all that serious tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-08-27 00:36:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16691980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gohoubi/pseuds/gohoubi
Summary: Robb may be the future lord of Winterfell, but he's not immune to a common cold. Jon hangs out with him. Fluff and angst ensue all round.





	Blood is Thicker than Water

**Author's Note:**

> This is not going to be a multi chapter fic. I think one-shots are what im best at!
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy this fic, and kudos/comments/subscriptions welcome :D

Robb may be next in line for lordship of Winterfell, but even a lord’s son cannot escape a cold.

His lady mother had fussed over him excessively, to the point Ned had to gently lead her out. “Let him get some rest,” his father had said to her. Robb had felt bad that his mother had to leave him when she didn’t want to, but he felt better without her smothering him.

Unfortunately, he only had a few hours of respite before his siblings came roaring in. Sansa, demure as ever, talked gently of trivialities and read to him from one of her books; Theon joked with him and promised him a trip to the woods once he was better; Bran, with Rickon in tow, just sat with him and said nothing. 

Arya ran in, chasing one of the Winterfell cats. She barely stopped long enough to call out a “feel better soon Robb” before she was bolting out again. Robb supposed he should be glad. He loved his sister, as he did all his siblings, but he was glad he didn’t have to endure Arya’s boundless energy for the time being.

The only one of his siblings who hadn’t visited him yet was his half-brother, Jon. Robb’s mother had probably forbade him entry. Robb hated his mother’s unfair treatment of Jon. He might be a bastard, but it wasn’t even his fault. However, even the eldest son does not question his own parents.

As if his own thoughts had conjured him, Jon appeared in the hallway, a shy smile on his face.

Robb felt tension slide off of his shoulders that he didn’t even know was there. Jon was his best friend, and the one sibling he felt the closest to. Sansa and Arya were girls, Bran a prepubescent, and Rickon a baby. Even Theon was too rough for him sometimes. 

Jon sat down on a bench next to Robb’s bed. “Catelyn hasn’t allowed me in yet - but I managed to sneak past. She’s busy telling off Arya for chasing the cats. I think we’ll have some time.”

Robb laughed. “I hope she doesn’t get in too much trouble. She’s just playing.” His voice sounded oddly nasally to him, a side effect of his blocked nose.

“Oh, it was her idea. She knew I wanted to talk to you. She agreed to annoy your mother to buy me an hour or two.”

He said this lightly, but Robb could see how much this necessity hurt Jon on the inside. He never made any mention of it, but Robb knew his half-brother yearned for the acceptance of his family. Despite being on the receiving end of their cold shoulders for as long as he could remember, he still wished to be brought into the fold. 

Jon changed the subject. “How are you feeling?”

“Alright. I think I would get better if I was allowed to go outside.”  
Jon didn’t laugh at him. He knew how much Robb loved riding and getting fresh air. “I’ll take you and Theon out for an adventure once you feel up to it.”

“Or once my mother feels up to it.” Robb chuckled.

“It’s so dull without you around. There’s no-one to spar with except Theon, and he doesn’t like me much.”

“For all the training he gets from Ser Cassel, he still can’t spar for much. If he wants to go back to his family a respected warrior, he has a long way to go.” Robb sneezes. “How is your training going?”

“Good. Ser Cassel says I’m getting better.”

Robb feels the conversation ebbing away. He gets barely enough time with his half-brother as it is. He does not want his private time with Jon ended anytime soon.

“I’m very happy that you visited me. I’ve been waiting for you for a while.”

“So have I. If only your mother didn’t try so hard to keep us away for each other.” Jon said that nonchalantly enough, but Robb could still hear censure behind it.

“I know. I’m sorry. I can talk to her. You don’t deserve this treatment. You didn’t choose to be a bastard.” Robb wipes his nose.

Jon smiles sadly. “It’s my station in life, Robb. It’s a generous offer, but I think this is as good as it’s going to get. I’m happy enough knowing that you consider me family.”

Robb scarcely ever cried anymore, in public, at any rate. But Jon’s statement brought him close to it. He placed his hand on his brother’s. “Not everyone in this family hates you. Father may be cold, but I know he loves you. Bran and Rickon look up to you. By the way Arya idolises you, you’d think the sun rises and sets by your command. Even Sansa loves you, though she doesn’t show it.”

Jon seemed on the verge of tears too. “Thank you, Robb. You are too kind.”

Arya bursts in the door. “Jon, Mother has finished scolding me. I think she’s on her way.”

Jon ruffles his sister’s hair. “I’d better go. Feel better soon, Robb.”

Robb sneezes. “Thank you, Jon.”

His siblings leave noisily, his brother making jokes, his sister laughing. He might be stuck in bed with a chill in the coldest part of Westeros, but in this moment he felt like he had everything in the world that he could want.

So when his lady mother bustles in and asks him what he’s smiling about, he says, “Everything.”


End file.
